The communication patterns among Africans and American blacks are rooted in similarities. Both groups are constricted within societal communication networks, with blacks occupying peripheral positions. Special cognitive and linguistic handicaps erect obstinate barriers to reforms in the distribution and reciprocity of power. The assertion of black identity signifies an attempt to reorder the structure of power that governs relationships between blacks and whites. This assertion is probably a necessary but insufficient basis for the political development of blacks in Africa and the United States. It must be accompanied by fundamental changes in the political and economic structure of American society and the international system to be truly effective. Otherwise, the quest for change may take the form of massive upheaval instead of peaceful reform. (Author/SW)

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